9. My Fate According to the Butterfly — Gail D. Villanueva (releasing 2019)
MG contemporary, own-voice Filipino rep, 11-year-old girl sees a black butterfly and convinces herself via superstition that her time is nearing an end

10. Spin the Dawn — Elizabeth Lim (releasing july 2019)
YA fantasy inspired by Chinese culture & mythology, pitched as Project Runway meets Mulan, teen girl must pose as a boy to take her father’s place as a royal tailor

11. Blood Heir — Amélie Wen Zhao (releasing june 2019)
YA fantasy, Anastasia retelling, runaway princess on trial for the suspicious murder of her own father

12. The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James — Ashley Herring Blake (releasing march 2019)
MG queer contemporary, MC receives a new heart from a donor and decides to instate a “New Life Plan” while discovering her own sexuality

13. Wicked Fox (cover TBA) — Kat Cho (releasing june 2019)
YA fantasy, set in modern-day Seoul, MC is a nine-tailed fox who must eat the souls of men

I vote for The Boneless Mercies! One of the best YA fantasy books I’ve read this year, it wasn’t perfect but it was so refreshing to read about characters going on a quest because they wanted to and not because they were forced to (active protagonists! It’s been so long since I read a book about active protagonists). The City of Brass is also really good if you like atmospheric adult fantasy and political intrigue, but it’s so slow that the characters do not even get to the “city of brass” until halfway through the book…

I never ended up liking The Problem With Forever (I skimmed most of it because it just wasn’t my thing), but I’m hoping it was just an unpopular opinion because I love JLA’s books so much! Great post 🙂